1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decorative display apparatus which is mounted on a window, a wall, a floor or a ceiling of a building, or fitted into them, or used as a partition in the room to give aesthetic feelings and good impressions to people.
2. Description of Related Art
For advertisement of commodity products or for improvement of corporate images, illustrations such as human figures and landscapes, photographs and posters are provided on window glasses of a building, and dolls and other decorative objects are displayed in a display space inside the window glasses. Such attempts give aesthetic feelings and good impressions to pedestrians to attract them. Further, various decorative objects are arranged in stores to create vivid and cheerful atmospheres in the stores.
These static decorative objects and the like indeed give aesthetic feelings andimpressions to people, but are commonplace. Therefore, this kind of decoration merely gives trite impressions, failing to give unique and distinctive feelings and stronger impressions to people who are accustomed thereto.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a decorative display apparatus which gives novel and unique aesthetic feelings and stronger impressions to people.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a decorative display apparatus, which comprises: a pair of opposed members disposed in a spaced and parallel relation, at least one of the opposed members being transparent or translucent; surrounding means for forming the inside space between the pair of opposed members, and provided with an air inlet; a plurality of balloons placed in the inside space; air supply means for supplying air into the inside space from the air inlet to generate an air stream in the inside space; and at least one air outlet provided adjacent the air inlet in the surrounding means and/or in a portion of at least one of the opposed members except a peripheral portion thereof.
When the air is supplied into the inside space through the air inlet from the air supply means, the supplied air hits against an interior surface portion of the surrounding means opposed to the air inlet thereby to be deflected along the interior surface portion. As a result, a circling air stream is generated, which flows along the interior surface of the surrounding means. The balloons placed in the inside space are brought into circling movement by the circling air stream. The circling movement of the balloons is observed through the transparent or translucent member.
The present invention provides a dynamic decorative effect wherein the plurality of balloons are simultaneously kept in circling movement. Thus, novel and unique aesthetic feelings and stronger impressions are given to people. Further, the decorative display apparatus has a simplified construction and is constituted by less expensive components, so that the novel dynamic decorative effect can be provided at very low costs.
If the inside space was an enclosed space, the internal pressure of the inside space would be increased by the air supplied from the air supply means, so that the air supply amount would gradually decrease to weaken the circling air stream. In accordance with the present invention, however, the air is moderately expelled from the inside space through the air outlet, so that the circling air stream is prevented from being weakened by excess build-up of the internal pressure of the inside space. Thus, the strength of the circling air stream can be maintained at a proper level.
Where the air outlet is provided at least adjacent the air inlet, air around the air inlet is drawn into the inside space by the air stream generated by the air supply means, so that the circling air stream flowing in the vicinity of the air outlet is hardly affected to be slowed down by an air stream expelled from the air outlet. Therefore, the speed of the circling air stream can be maintained at a desired level. Where the air outlet is provided in the portion of the opposed member except the peripheral portion thereof, i.e., where the air outlet is provided in association with the center of the circling air stream, the speed of the circling air stream is hardly affected by the presence of the central air outlet, because the circling air stream has the highest speed at the outermost portion thereof and a relatively low speed at the center thereof. Therefore, the speed of the circling air stream can be maintained at the desired level. As long as the speed of the circling air stream can be maintained at the desired level, air outlets are not necessarily required to be provided both in the peripheral member and in the opposed member, but may be provided in one of these members.
The provision of the air inlet and the air outlet in the peripheral member is achieved by forming openings directly in the peripheral member or by providing the peripheral member in discontinuous manner.
In the decorative display apparatus, at least one of the opposed members is rectangular in shape, and the surrounding means consists of four or more peripheral members, wherein the air inlet is provided in one of the two adjacent peripheral members near a corner of the rectangular opposed plate. In this case, the air supply means supplies the air into the inside space along the other of the two adjacent peripheral members.
With this arrangement, the air supplied from the air inlet hits against the interior surface portion of the peripheral member opposed to the air inlet thereby to be deflected along the inner surface portion of the peripheral member. As a result, a circling air stream is generated, which flows along the interior surface of the peripheral member. Therefore, the same effect as described above can be provided.
The decorative display apparatus further comprises oblique plates disposed near the other corners of the rectangular opposed member, wherein each of the oblique plates connects to the two adjacent peripheral members providing each of the corners. In other words, the oblique plates guide the air stream as to be deflected, so that an energy loss is reduced at the deflection of the air stream. Therefore, a stronger circling air stream can easily be generated.
The rectangular plate member preferably has an aspect ratio of 1.0 to 1.5. The term xe2x80x9caspect ratioxe2x80x9d herein means the ratio of the length of the long side to the short side of the rectangular plate member. With this arrangement, the circling air stream can flow generally circularly. Therefore, the balloons can be brought into circular motion thereby to provide a well-balanced dynamic decorative effect as a whole.
In the decorative display apparatus, at least one of the opposed members may be a generally rectangular plate member that has an aspect ratio of 1.6 to 3.0. In this case, the air inlet is provided in a generally longitudinally middle portion of the peripheral member along one of the longer sides of the rectangular plate member.
With this arrangement, the air supplied from the air inlet hits against the interior surface portion of the peripheral member opposed to the air inlet thereby to be deflected in two opposite directions (or in laterally opposite directions) along the interior surface portion of the peripheral member. Therefore, two circling air streams are generated in right and left portions of the inside space, so that the balloons placed in the inside space are brought into circling movement on these circling air streams thereby to be divided into two groups. This provides a dynamic decorative effect different from those described above.
In this case, oblique plates may be provided in the four corners of the peripheral member in the inside space with each of the oblique plates connecting to the two adjacent peripheral member providing each of the corners. This arrangement provides the same effect as described above. That is, each of the oblique plates guides the air streams to be deflected, so that an energy loss is reduced at the deflection of the air streams. Therefore, stronger circling air streams can easily be generated.
The decorative display apparatus may further comprise diverting means opposed to the air inlet. With this arrangement, the air stream from the air inlet can easily be diverted into two directions, so that an energy loss is reduced at the diversion of the air stream. Therefore, stronger circling air streams can easily be generated.
In the decorative display apparatus, at least one of the pair of opposed members may be a generally equilateral polygonal plate member with five or more straight sides and the surrounding means consists of five or more peripheral members. In the case, the air inlet is provided in one of the two peripheral members near a corner of the polygonal plate, and the air supply means supplies the air into the inside space along the other of the two adjacent peripheral members providing the corner.
In the decorative display apparatus, at least one of the opposed members may be a round or oval plate member. In this case, the air supply means supplies the air along a tangent of the round or oval plate member. With this arrangement, a stronger air stream can easily be generated.
In the decorative display apparatus, the air supply means preferably supplies the air in a variable direction. Thus, variations and irregularity are imparted to the circling movement of the balloons, thereby enhancing the dynamic decorative effect.
Exemplary materials for the plate member herein employed include plates and sheets (including woven fabrics and knitted fabrics) having any thickness.